New Orleans has a special place in the hearts of “Day of Our Lives” fans, as the city remains a special place for its cast.

Courtesy 'Days of Our Lives'Kristian Alfonso.

It was here – or, specifically, Oak Alley Plantation – where the NBC soap’s characters Beauregard "Bo" Brady and Hope Williams came in the mid-1980s to first squeak some bed springs.

It is a fondly remembered moment, poor-quality video memories here and here.

This week, Kristian Alfonso and Peter Reckell, the actors who play Hope and Bo, respectively, return.

Thursday (March 24) afternoon, they and several other cast members will do recovery work with the St. Bernard Project.

From 7-9 p.m. the same day, they’ll sign a new commemorative book, "Days of our Lives 45 Years: a Celebration in Photos," at the Metairie Barnes & Noble, 3721 Veterans Boulevard.

“Peter and I are very excited to return back to New Orleans, where Bo and Hope first consummated their love,” said Alfonso during a telephone interview while en route to town. “We shot a lot of exteriors in New Orleans. The people could not be more welcoming. That was in the ‘80s. It’s been quite some time. We shot at Oak Alley. We shot right in the French Quarter. It was so beautiful, and the people were absolutely incredible.”

The recovery project – a surprise living-room makeover -- holds special meaning to the cast members participating, Alfonso said. The connection is the Horton family living room on the soap, which has been a nexus of drama for the nearly-half-century run of the show.

“The first scenes shot were primarily in the Horton family living room, which is a very historical set for us,” Alfonso said. “It’s home for all the characters.”

The book is “a walk down memory lane for us as actors, as it is for the viewers,” Alfonso said. “It’s fantastic as a book for anyone who’s ever watched ‘Days of Our Lives.’ And I have to admit that I, too, am a fan. When I’m reading my script, I’m also reading other stories to see where it’s going to go next.”